


Put Myself Back Together

by DelilahBlueEyes



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-24
Updated: 2014-08-24
Packaged: 2018-02-14 12:42:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2192253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DelilahBlueEyes/pseuds/DelilahBlueEyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sarah struggles to cope with a death in her family, Jareth struggles to help her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Put Myself Back Together

**Author's Note:**

> You can either choose to take this entirely literally or follow in the footsteps of Mr. Henson himself and relegate Jareth to Sarah's imagination. Either way, I like this one.

“Hello, miss Williams. This is Lydia from Edward Reading funeral parlor. Your father’s ashes are ready to be picked up whenever you are ready. I am very sorry for your loss…”

 

“Sarah I just wanted to thank you for watching your brother at the reception. I…. I wasn’t myself. I think we should get together and talk about what to do with your father’s things…”

 

“Oh, babe, I was in the middle of a flight from Tibet. Please call me back. I want to make sure you’re okay. I’m so sorry about your dad, Sarah…”

 

“Hey, Sarah. It’s Kelly. I know we haven’t seen each other in a while but I heard about your dad and I just wanted to see how you’re doing. Give me a call, okay?”

 

“Sarah, you have to call me. You have to talk to someone. I’m worried about you. Karen says no one’s seen you in a week. You can’t do this, babe. Please let someone know you’re alright…”

 

Sarah was glad when the answering machine filled up and left her in blessed peace, except for the occasional demanding beep that rang throughout the apartment. She curled up tighter on her crumpled comforter, hovering on the edge of sleep even though she’d only woken a few hours ago. A bleary glance at the bedside clock revealed that it was 3 o’clock, though with the heavy curtains firmly shut she couldn’t tell whether it was afternoon or early morning. She should get up. She should shower. She should put one of the three lasagnas she’d been sent home from the funeral with in the oven and call someone, anyone while she waited for it to heat up. Instead, she rolled to face the wall of her bedroom and let herself slip back into a light drowse, not even bothering to drag herself under her blanket.

 

Her mind drifted from vague memories and nothingness until she dreamt that she was wrapped up in warmth, leaning against a boulder on a deserted beach while the sun radiated down at her. It was nice. As she woke by degrees, the warmth solidified into a pair of arms that for one hazy moment she believed belonged to her father. But no. Of course she knew who it was, and she ran a hand over her leg to find that he’d pulled the thick bedspread over her while she napped.

 

“You looked cold.” The words were murmured close to her shoulder and any other time it would have made her shudder in quiet delight. Now she only grasped his hand where it lay against her waist and pulled it to rest against her heart between both of hers.

 

“I’ve been waiting for you,” she whispered, feeling one of his fingers wriggle free of hers to slide back and forth across the skin just below her collarbone. It was the first sensation that had managed to breach the haze in her mind in days. Her focus narrowed down to the feel of his finger against her skin, the weight of his arm across her ribcage, the feel of his knees tucked behind hers. Everything faded slightly when he was near; everything became soft around the edges and seemed further away. She snuggled back against him and closed her eyes again. “I didn’t think you were coming after the first few days.”

 

“Oh, precious,” he crooned, pushing up onto his elbow to peer at her face. It wasn’t until he caught one small glinting tear on his fingertip that she realized she was crying. And suddenly, she was. Her shoulders shook and she pressed her face into the pillow to muffle the sobs she couldn’t entirely feel. “I should have been here sooner, I know. Why didn’t you call for me?”

 

“I just thought you were busy. I don’t know. I thought you were—“

 

“Sarah,” he sounded exasperated and tender at the same time as he draped himself over her, pressing his lips to her shoulder briefly. “There is nothing more important than you. Don’t you know that? I would have been here if you’d only breathed my name because I will always come when you need me.”

 

His words only made her cry harder and she pressed a hand to her mouth while he rubbed his free hand over her forearm. As much as she’d wished for someone, anyone to come find her, to come rescue her, she was so glad it was him. Sweet as her boyfriend was, Lucas would not have been able to comfort her this way. They’d been dating just a handful of months, and Jareth had been there so much longer. He’d been there forever.

 

“Now, eventually you’ll have to get out of bed. You’ll take a shower while I cook you a late lunch and we’ll sit and talk about this.” His tone was gentle but firm as he laid out the plan for the rest of her day, and Sarah was grateful for the guidance. “But for now, we can lie together for a while more If you like?”

 

She sniffled and nodded into the pillow, glad that he would let her rest for a while longer before dragging her back out into the world. She clutched tighter at his hand as he began to hum the strains of a song she’d forgotten a long time ago. Outside, people were running to catch flights and laughing and shouting, but in her little bubble of comfort, Sarah Williams could pretend everything was quiet and still. Even it if was only long enough to try to put herself back together.


End file.
